The Exmoor Pony is a very
rare animal with a total population (wild
and domestic, anywhere) far lower than many
recognised rare species. The Rare Breeds
Survival Trust lists the Exmoor as
endangered because of the number of breeding
animals.

The very small number living free are of
great importance as the wild environment
continues to select for the ponies' natural
characteristics.

POPULATION
STATISTICS

There are a
few small free-living groups away from
Exmoor and these provide 'insurance' in case
problems ever arise on Exmoor and are a
welcome boost to the number living under
natural conditions. On Exmoor itself there
are recognised strains within the total
group, which have arisen by the herds living
on separated commons. Ensuring that these
strains persist and that no genetic material
is lost from the breeding population is also
very important.

HOW
RARE IS RARE?

Exmoors have found a
new role in managing nature reserves
for English Nature, the National
Trust and several country Wildlife
Trusts and are aiding their own
conservation in natural conditions
at the same time. For example, those
released on the Purbecks in Dorest
are successfully helping the orchid
population to thrive. Their
willingness to eat various coarse
plants makes them ideal for
conservation grazing.

LOCATION OF FREE-LIVING HERDS ON EXMOOR

Withypool Common
Herd 23 has belonged to
the Milton family at Withypool since the
family first settled there in 1807. Since
the early 1970's, Mrs C Mitchell's Herd H8
has shared Withypool Common's almost 800
hectares (2,000 acres) of grass and heather
moorland, crossed by the River Barle.
Normally three stallions, each with a harem
of mares, graze the Common.

Warren
The large expanse of open
moorland beyond Warren Farm, between Exford
and Simonsbath, is the domain of one of the
National Park herds. This is part of the
former Royal Forest and perhaps the wildest
location of Exmoor ponies. There is no
public access through Warren Farm. A single
stallion lives here with his breeding herd
of mares and these form Herd H52.

Winsford Hill
Mrs R Wallaces's "Anchor"
Herd runs on Winsford Hill's 704 (1,760
acres) of heather moorland, usually to be
found in three groups each with a stallion.
These are the descendants of the Acland
herd, founded by Sir Thomas Acland when the
Royal Forest was sold in 1818. They are
unique amongst Exmoor ponies in having an
anchor shaped brand rather than a herd
number.

Codsend Moor / Dunkery Beacon
Codsend Moor is the home
of Herd 12, founded by the Crockford family
in the 1800's and passed to the Western
family of Luckwell Bridge in the 1940's. The
herd, a single stallion and his mares, runs
on an inclosure of about 40 hectares (100
acres) lying on the flank of Dunkery Beacon.
Dunkery Beacon itself has
had a resident Herd, H17 belonging to Mrs
Gill Langdon and Mrs Jackie Ablett, since
the early 1990's, again with one stallion
and a number of mares.

Haddon Hill
One of the Exmoor National
Park Authority's herds, H42, inhabits 400
acres of open heath with some woodland,
rising above Wimbleball Lake near Brompton
Regis. Both the ENPA herds were established
in 1980 and both are breeding herds, each
with one stallion.

There are also breeding
herds to be found at Lanacombe (Herd H67),
Deer Park (Herd H9), Porlock Common (Herd
100) and Molland Moor (Herd 99). Small
numbers of youngstock run on East Anstey
Commons. When visiting, please approach
quietly and do not disturb the pony herds.

EXMOOR PONY CHARACTERISTICS - Breed
Standard and Purpose of Features

EARS"Ears short, thick and pointed".
The ears are small and lined with soft hair.
All body openings are kept to a minimum size
and well protected to prevent being chilled
in bad weather.

EYES "Eyes large, wide apart and
prominent (Toad Eyes)." The flesh around the
eye forms a raised rim which protects it
from water running down the head. The term
"toad eye" comes from this bulging
appearance.

HEAD
"Clean cut face; wide forehead; wide
nostrils". The relatively long head allows
air to pass over a good length of internal
membranes which warm it up before reaching
the lungs. The thick forelock and man (and
winter beard) are all to shed water from the
head.

TEETH
The incisors (front biting teeth)
should meet cleanly to give an
efficient bite and this generally
endures into old age. The molars
(side, chewing teeth) are large and
angled to give a strong chewing
pressure to deal with tough moorland
plants.

ACTION
"Straight & smooth, without
exaggerated action". The Exmoor's
stride is long low and smooth,
giving them easy movement over rough
terrain and providing a
well-balanced ride. These ponies are
extremely sure-footed.

TAIL
"Tail neatly set in". The hairs at
the root of the tail are short and
fan out to form a snow / rain chute,
channelling water away from the
delicate parts beneath. The rest of
the tail is thick and fully haired
and again sheds water efficiently.
It is low set and well set in to
provide protection from the
elements.

LEGS & FEET"Clean and short;
forelegs straight, well apart and squarely
set; hind legs well apart, nearly
perpendicular from hock to fetlock with
point of hock in line with pelvis bone; wide
curve from flank to hock joint; legs in free
motion with no tendency to sweep or turn.
Neat, hard feet." The anatomy of the very
strong legs is adapted to living and moving
in hilly country. The feet are small, dark
slate coloured and exceptionally hard to
cope with rough terrain. Lack of colouration
or white marks on the feet are deemed weaker
/ alien and such ponies are not registered.

COLOURED
"Bay, brown or dun with
black points". All Exmoors are essentially
identical and this "brown & mealy "
colouration is a very primitive appearance
adapted for camouflage.

MARKINGS
"Mealy colour on the
muzzle, around eyes and inside flanks. No
white markings anywhere"

BRAND MARKS
The star on the
shoulder denotes official Exmoor Pony
Society registration; the number below it is
the pony's herd number. The number on the
flank is it's individual registration number
in that herd. Ponies in the 'Anchor' her
have no herd number but an anchor symbol on
the flank above the individual number.

THE
MOORLAND YEAR

SPRING
The first foals usually
arrive in April but most foals are born in
May and June. Early in life, the foals stay
close to the dams. They play from an early
age, initially with their mothers but then
with other foals. Traditionally, the
Stallion Parade is held at Exford in early
May, where the stallions are paraded and
compete for valuable premiums.

SUMMER
In summer, less time if
spent feeding and so a greater part of each
day is spent resting. The summer diet
consists mainly of preferred nutritious
grasses, allowing the ponies to accumulate
reserves for the winter. The foals grow
rapidly throughout the summer, becoming less
dependent on their mothers. Tourists become
a significant part of the environment and
the ponies generally favour quiet areas away
from disturbance. Unlike many moorland
ponies elsewhere, Exmoors rarely approach
people. The Breed Show is held in August at
Exford. Ponies are shown in hand, under
saddle and in harness.

AUTUMN
As the amount of available
grass declines, the ponies begin to vary
their diet and grow their winter coats to
ensure they are fully insulated and
waterproofed. In late October, when the
foals are old enough to be weaned, the
owners 'gather' them off the open moorland.
The ponies are taken to their home farms
where the foals are inspected for
registration. Most foals are then sold away
from the moor; the adults and sometimes a
few foals are released back to their
moorland home and reform the herds of a
stallion with a harem of mares.

WINTER
As the food supply
declines, life for the free living Exmoors
becomes hard. Nature has endowed then with
adaptations to aid survival in such harsh
conditions. Their doubled layered winter
coats keep Exmoors warm and dry and poor
fibrous food is digested to create internal
'central heating'. With less grass
available, the ponies large quantities of
gorse. Reserves of body fat accumulated
during the summer months are also utilised.

USES

Prior to the use of
mechanisms, which came comparatively late to
Exmoor, the local pony was used for a wide
variety of tasks on the hill farms; a pony
could be used for shepherding, ploughing,
harrowing, hunting, carrying the farmer to
market etc. Some were even used for the post
round and some were mounts for the Home
Guard during the war.
Today Exmoor ponies are
seldom used for work but throughout Britain
participate in every sphere of equestrian
activity, be it showing, riding, driving,
jumping, long-distance riding, riding and
driving for the disabled. Their considerable
strength makes them highly suited to driving
and although they make excellent lead rein
ponies, they do require a competent child
rider rather than a novice.
As well as being able to
serve many family members, the Exmoor finds
favour because it is economical to keep; in
fact when kept in fields one of the most
important aspects is to ensure that an
Exmoor does not get much food. Advice on
their management is always available from
the Exmoor Pony Society.

AN ANCIENT
LINEAGE

The first wild ponies came
to Britain about 130 thousand years ago.
They were very successful and widely
distributed. After about 100 thousand years
Man came to Britain and hunted the wild
ponies.

About 9,600 years ago,
climatic change restricted open habitats to
mountain and moorland areas supporting far
fewer ponies; these became isolated on the
uplands as the British Hill Pony. When the
Celts settled in Britain, ponies from these
wild herds were tamed and trained to pull
their chariots. The first written records of
ponies on Exmoor are in the Domesday Book.

In 1818, the Crown sold
the Royal Forest of Exmoor to industrialist
John Knight. The outgoing Warden, Sir Thomas
Acland, took 30 ponies and founded the
Acland herd (now known as the Anchor herd).
Farmers from Withypool and Hawkridge also
brought and founded several herds.

In 1912, owners became
concerned that their true Exmoor ponies
should not be lost to the fashion of the
time for 'improvement' and founded the
Exmoor Pony Society. In the 1930s Exmoors
were very popular as childrens' riding
ponies, no doubt in part due to success of
the Moorland Mousie stories. On Exmoor, as
they had for generations, ponies carried the
farmers shepherding, hunting, to market and
even ploughed the land, while the unhandled
breeding herds continued to graze the
Commons.

The late 1940s nearly saw
the demise of the Exmoor Ponies. Gates left
open, trigger-happy troops and ponies stolen
to provide food for the city dwellers
reduced the population to about fifty. After
the war Mary Etherington rallied the
breeders who set about re-establishing their
herds. Today the Exmoor continues as out
partner in leisure and competitive
activities while the free-living herds carry
on its role as part of the natural fauna of
Britain.

THE EXMOOR
PONY SOCIETY

The Exmoor Pony Society was
formed in 1921 and today has a membership
spread throughout the British Isles. The EPS
exists to promote and encourage the breeding
of pure-breed Exmoor Ponies and , if free
from disqualifying faults, are registered in
the Stud Book and branded with the Society's
star, the herd number and individual pony's
number. Stallions have to pass a further
inspection in order to be licensed for
breeding. The EPS holds an annual stallion
parade in Exford in May and a Breed Show in
August.

THE EXMOOR
NATIONAL PARK HERDS

In 1980 the Exmoor National
Park Authority established two free-living
herds, pursing its policy maintaining the
ponies in their natural habitat. The
management of the herds, which includes
breeding policy, organising the annual
round-up and inspection, liaison with the
Exmoor Pony Society and the public, is the
responsibility of the Park Management
Section. The day to day welfare of the
ponies is monitored by National Park rangers
and graziers, who also assist with the
gathering and inspection. The National Park
Authority also encourages the keeping of
free-living Exmoor Ponies by jointly funding
a moorland mare premium scheme with the
Exmoor Pony Society and by providing grazing
licenses on suitable areas of its moorland
estate.